Tiger looks for second Asian base

Tiger looks for second Asian base

SINGAPORE: Singapore budget carrier Tiger Airways plans to launch its first joint-venture airline in Asia next year and is looking for a second base, its chief executive said in a report on Wednesday.

"Our plan has always been to be a pan-regional carrier. There are several options we are looking at for a secondary base," Tony Davis told the Straits Times.

He said the goal was to start two or three such joint ventures in different Asian countries to overcome problems in gaining traffic rights.

Currently, Tiger Airways cannot fly to some countries, such as Indonesia, which are trying to protect their own fledgling air transport industries.

Tiger's strategy is similar to Malaysia's AirAsia, the regional pioneer in low-cost carriers, which has established joint venture airlines in Thailand and Indonesia.

Tiger Airways, 49-percent owned by Singapore Airlines, started operations in September last year and now flies to more than 10 destinations.

Davis said the key to budget airlines remaining viable was efficient use of resources and to be strict about cost cutting. -- AFP